Sights and Insights
Devotion for May 18, 2021
Remember the long way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments. – Deuteronomy 8:2 (NRSV)
What stories do you tell of this past year? As I have had more time to visit with people lately, I have been hearing many stories. Stories of this past year, stories of the movement of people’s lives over decades, stories of involvement with St. Matthew over the years. It has been a joy to hear these many stories.
What strikes me in thinking about how we tell stories of our lives is the ways in which choosing how to tell a story is nearly as important as which stories to tell. That is, while the stories we tell one another about our lives are centered around events, those stories are greatly shaped by which details we include and which ones we leave out. When we tell about something that happened to us, do we focus on the struggles, wrongs, and annoyances we encountered? Or do we tell of the joyful moments and excitement? Which details we emphasize plays a role in the way that we remember the event. This is not to say that we should only ever talk about the positive parts of our experiences. If our struggles are never expressed and never acknowledged by others, they build up in us and are corrosive. On the other hand, if we dwell on the negative parts of our experiences that can also take away from the moments of blessing that are also at hand. The key is to be realistic in recognizing the challenges and sorrows that we face while also not letting them dominate our memories.
What details will you hold onto from this year of pandemic? There have been plenty of struggles, but have there been some blessings that you can recognize? I don’t mean that you need to force yourself to find a silver lining in everything. On a more basic level, do not forget the good moments. Include them in the story you tell to yourself and others of what this year has been like for you.
In the book of Deuteronomy, God is continually calling the people to remember what God has done for them. Throughout there long journey and struggles in the wilderness, it would have been easy to become consumed by how uncomfortable, uncertain, and unsettled everything was. It could easily be remembered as a horrible time for them individually and as a people. It would be easy to tell the story of a time of listless wandering, bereft of excitement or purpose. Yet God tells them to remember the blessings given to them during this time. They are to remember it as a time of being led by God, a time to look back on as an example of God’s enduring faithfulness. Those are the details to hold onto, so that the wilderness time becomes a foundation for knowing God’s goodness. In the same way, even though the past year has at times felt uncertain, uncomfortable, unsettled, and listless, let us remember the moments that God has been with us and led us. Let that be part of the story we tell ourselves and others.